Russia launched a large-scale overnight missile and drone attack on Ukraine on 14 November, killing at least five civilians in Kyiv and two in Chornomorsk, and injuring about 50 people across multiple regions, according to Ukrainian local and national authorities. Residential buildings, civilian infrastructure, and utility networks were damaged in Kyiv city, as well as in Kyiv Oblast, and several other regions including Odesa, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Kirovohrad.

Ukraine's Air Force says Kyiv was the primary target, with Kyiv Oblast, Kharkiv Oblast, Odesa Oblast, Poltava Oblast, and Cherkasy Oblast also affected.

Kyiv bears brunt of Russian attack with five deaths, apartments hit, power and heating outages reported

Russian drones and missiles struck nine districts of Kyiv during the overnight assault, according to reports from Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko and the Kyiv City Military Administration (KMVA).

All five fatalities occurred in Desnianskyi district, where rescue operations continued throughout the morning. Among the 35 wounded were a 10-year-old child and a 7-year-old with facial injuries, and a pregnant woman who required hospitalization. One man remained in critical condition as of the morning.

The attack damaged dozens of residential buildings across Kyiv's Dniprovskyi, Darnytskyi, Desnianskyi, Podilskyi, Shevchenkivskyi, Solomyanskyi, Holosiivskyi, Sviatoshynskyi, and Obolonsky districts. In Dniprovskyi district, debris hit a five-story building, causing destruction on lower floors and fires in two apartments. Rescue workers evacuated nine people from that building. The district saw three multi-apartment buildings and one private residence damaged, with five people wounded.

Podilskyi district suffered damage to five residential buildings and one non-residential structure, with fires reported on the 10th and 12th floors of different buildings. In Obolonskyi district, fires broke out on the seventh and ninth floors of one residential building. Desnianskyi district saw direct hits and fires in two multi-story buildings, where rescue teams worked through the morning clearing rubble.

A Kyiv woman from Dniprovskyi district described her experience to Suspilne:

"I heard nothing, I started putting out my hair. My hair caught fire, and then I saw that everything was dark, in smoke."

Power and heating facilities targeted

Russia damaged sections of Kyiv's heating networks during the attack, according to Klitschko. Parts of Desnianskyi district lost heating due to an emergency situation on heat transmission lines. Portions of Podilskyi district also experienced heating disruptions. Municipal services worked to determine the extent of damage and began immediate repairs.

Klitschko warned residents of possible electricity and water supply interruptions. Energy workers later reported they had eliminated localized emergency outages caused by the attack.

Azerbaijan embassy sustains damage from Iskander debris

Debris from an Iskander missile damaged Azerbaijan's embassy in Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported.

Seven more civilians injured across five districts of Kyiv Oblast

Kyiv Oblast authorities reported no fatalities, but seven people were injured. Regional administration head Mykola Kalashnyk mentioned six injuries, while Irpin Mayor Oleksandr Markushyn reported that the Russian attack also injured a woman in his city. 

• In Bila Tserkva, a 55-year-old man suffered thermal burns.
• In Fastivskyi district, a man sustained multiple shoulder wounds.
• In Vyshhorodskyi district, a 47-year-old man, a 56-year-old man, and a 7-year-old child were injured.
• In Buchanskyi district, a woman suffered a hand injury.
• In Irpin district, a woman was treated for a bruised arm.

Damage to dozens of residential and non-residential buildings was reported, but no fires were recorded in the oblast outside Kyiv city.

Russia possibly deploys Zircon hypersonic missile against Sumy

Russian forces struck the outskirts of Sumy at 7:05 a.m., with Zelenskyy stating that Russia used a Zircon-type missile according to preliminary data. The explosion damaged road pavement, ruptured a fire hydrant causing water leaks, and temporarily closed a road section. Artem Kobzar, acting mayor of Sumy, reported no casualties from the strike.

Russian forces also struck Sumy's industrial zone with drones around 9:00 a.m., causing a fire at a production facility. Sumy Oblast head Oleh Hryhorov noted that Russia attacked the industrial zone with drones for the second consecutive day. 

Odesa Oblast: two dead, seven injured in Chornomorsk market attack

Russian forces attacked a local market in Chornomorsk, Odesa Oblast, with strike drones, killing two people and wounding seven others. Some of the wounded remained in serious condition, according to Odesa Oblast head Oleh Kiper.

The strike damaged the city square, shop facades, and private vehicles. The blast wave shattered windows in a nearby college. Rescue workers and all relevant services worked at the scene.

Critical infrastructure hit across seven oblasts

Vice Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba reported heating and water supply disruptions in Kyiv city and oblast, Kharkiv, Odesa, Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovohrad, and Donetsk oblasts. Repair crews deployed and activated reserve systems where needed.

• Russian forces struck a non-operational private facility in Chuhuiv, Kharkiv Oblast, with drones, causing a fire in an administrative building, according to Mayor Halyna Minaieva. The attack caused no casualties.
• More than 3,000 customers in Tsyrkuny community of Kharkiv Oblast lost gas service due to combat operations, Kharkiv branch of Gazmerezhi reported. The company received information about the gas supply disruption affecting part of Kharkiv district.
• In Kirovohrad Oblast, Russian attacks damaged power transmission lines in Novoukrainka district, leaving 16 settlements without electricity. Regional administration head Andrii Raikovych reported that power was restored to all affected settlements by 8:08 a.m.

Ukrainian Air Force: 430 drones and 19 missiles launched

Ukrainian Air Force said air defenders shot down or suppressed 419 aerial targets out of 449 detected. Russia reportedly started the attack from 6:00 p.m. on 13 November using strike drones and missiles from air, ground, and sea platforms.

Moscow fired 430 Shahed and Gerbera long-range strike drones and 19 missiles from several location in Russia and occupied Crimea.  Among the missiles used were three Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missiles from Ryazan Oblast, one Zircon anti-ship missile, six Iskander-K and Kalibr cruise missiles from occupied Crimea and the Black Sea, and nine Iskander-M and KN-23 ballistic missiles from Bryansk Oblast.

Ukraine’s Air Force stated that Russian forces launched 449 aerial threats: 430 strike UAVs and 19 missiles (ballistic and cruise).
Out of these, 419 were intercepted or suppressed:

• 405 drones
• 6 ballistic missiles (Iskander-M or KN-23)
• 6 cruise missiles (Iskander-K or Kalibr)
• 2 Kinzhal missiles

 The Air Force recorded missile and drone hits at 13 locations and debris falls at 44 locations.

Zelenskyy: attack aimed to maximize civilian harm

President Zelenskyy emphasized the deliberate nature of the Russian attack in his morning statement.

"A deliberately calculated attack to cause as much harm as possible to people and civilian infrastructure," he wrote. 

The President emphasized that Russia continues to benefit financially from oil exports by circumventing existing sanctions. He called for these evasion schemes to be effectively shut down, and urged allied nations, particularly in Europe and the United States, to provide Ukraine with additional air defense systems and interceptor missiles.

"A lot of work is being done with partners to strengthen air defense, but not enough. Strengthening with additional systems and interceptor missiles is needed. Europe and the USA can help. We count on real decisions," he added.

In Kharkiv and the surrounding oblast, construction crews are working in shifts, often without power or mobile connection, to build dozens of underground schools, according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science. The initiative is part of the country’s push to restore offline education in safer conditions for children in frontline areas.

Ukraine builds underground schools in Kharkiv to protect children from airstrikes

A total of 38 underground schools are currently under construction across Kharkiv and Kharkiv Oblast. Seven more projects are underway with support from international partners, according to Education Minister Oksen Lisovyi. He said Kharkiv Oblast is leading Ukraine in the number of such school construction projects.

Lisovyi says he visited the region last week to inspect the pace of the work and identify community needs ahead of planning the 2026 budget. Authorities hope to complete several sites by the end of this year. In just two days, Lisovyi and his team reviewed 21 construction sites — five of which are already hosting full-time in-person classes.

The schools are being built as part of Ukraine’s nationwide “School Offline” policy, which aims to bring students back to classrooms despite the ongoing war. The effort has taken on special urgency in Kharkiv, where airstrikes remain frequent and deadly.

“They are doing everything they can to finish the schools and return children to safe classrooms as soon as possible,” Lisovyi said. “This commitment and perseverance is the main reason why work doesn’t stop, even under shelling.”

Underground classrooms as a national strategy

The Education Minister said the push for underground schools is not just a local effort but part of a broader state policy to restore in-person education throughout Ukraine.

“Even in frontline regions, children have the right to education and a normal school life,” Lisovyi said.

He added that the government plans to expand the program so that every child in Ukraine can study in person, near their peers, and in a secure environment.

The first underground school in Sumy has begun operations, with hundreds of students returning to in-person learning in a facility designed to protect them from shelling, the Head of the Office of the President Andriy Yermak announced on Telegram.

"It is modern and safe, with comfortable classrooms and spacious areas. Here, children can learn, communicate, and feel safe. Now, hundreds of students will return to in-person learning, where you can hear children's laughter and feel a sense of unity and true school spirit," Yermak said.

The facility is part of a broader national program to restore education in wartime conditions. According to Yermak, over 170 similar facilities are currently being implemented across Ukraine, primarily in frontline and border areas.

Five underground schools have been built in three communities in the Sumy region to date. Another eight schools are planned for five communities in the area: seven will open by the end of 2025, with one more scheduled for 2026.

"In two years, the state has invested more than 13 billion hryvnias ( $361 mn) in the creation of safe schools," the Head of the Office of the President said.

Yermak noted that Sumy region has repeatedly been targeted by attacks, with schools destroyed and children injured.

"Constant shelling, threats, sirens — all of this has become everyday life for frontline communities," he said. "Where the enemy tries to destroy the future, we are building it again."

The announcement follows a statement by former Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in May, who said four underground schools were planned for Sumy city and 11 for the broader Sumy Oblast.

In an overnight assault on 30-31 October, Russia launched a nationwide drone and missile attack targeting Ukrainian cities, railways, and energy infrastructure. The most intense strikes hit Sumy, where 15 civilians — including four children — were injured, according to the local authorities. Other Russian attacks killed 12 and injured at least 57 civilians.

According to Ukraine’s Air Force, the country was hit with 145 strike drones and one Iskander-M ballistic missile between 19:00 on 30 October and the early hours of 31 October. Most of the drones were of the Shahed and Gerbera types. Air defense units, electronic warfare teams, and mobile fire groups shot down or suppressed 107 drones and one missile. However, 36 drones managed to strike 20 locations.

Russia attacks Sumy, injures civilians

From the evening of 30 October through the morning of 31 October, Russian forces attacked Sumy with ten strike drones, causing widespread destruction in residential areas and key infrastructure sites, injuring 15 civilians. According to the regional prosecutor’s office and local officials, drones hit single-family homes and multi-story buildings in two districts.

The State Emergency Service of Sumy Oblast reported that a nine-story apartment building was struck, igniting fires in five apartments and seven balconies. Elsewhere, a two-story house and detached residences sustained major damage. Two critical infrastructure sites were also hit, and two men — aged 49 and 54 — were injured there.

Russia also struck the passenger train depot of Ukrzaliznytsia in Sumy. The railway operator reported that maintenance buildings and rolling stock were damaged or destroyed. Vice PM for Ukraine's restoration Oleksii Kuleba said the depot served purely civilian purposes — preparing carriages for daily routes — and condemned the strike as part of a deliberate campaign targeting non-military infrastructure.

Ukrzaliznytsia confirmed no railway staff were injured, as they had reached shelters in time.

In addition to Sumy, Russian drones struck railway facilities in Kharkiv Oblast. The Kharkiv Oblast Administration confirmed that infrastructure and power lines were damaged in Lozova Raion.

Donetsk Oblast: eight civilians killed in single day

Donetsk Oblast recorded the highest civilian death toll over the past 24 hours. According to the Donetsk Oblast Military Administration, Russian attacks on 30 October killed eight people and injured 18. In Hryshyne, Pokrovsk City Military Administration reported that a married couple died when their home was shelled.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported yesterday evening that two people were killed and others injured in a Russian bombing of the Sloviansk thermal power station, calling the attack “pure terror.”

Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and Kharkiv oblasts hit by drone and artillery fire

• In Kherson Oblast, Russian forces shelled 45 settlements, according to Oblast Military Administration head Oleksandr Prokudin. One person was killed, and seven others — including a child — were injured.
• Zaporizhzhia Oblast endured 673 Russian strikes on 30 October, hitting 19 communities. Oblast head Ivan Fedorov reported that three people were killed and 29 injured.
• Kharkiv Oblast officials said various Russian attacks injured three people — a 78-year-old man, a 56-year-old , and a 59-year-old man.

Other oblasts: strikes and interceptions

• In Mykolaiv Oblast, falling debris from a downed Shahed drone damaged a medical facility, a private residence, and three cars, but no injuries were reported, according to the Oblast Military Administration.
• Cherkasy Oblast head Ihor Taburets reported that air defenses intercepted a strike drone and two missiles on 30 October. No injuries or damage occurred. The night of 31 October remained calm in the oblast.
• In Chernihiv Oblast, Russian forces attacked four border communities using FPV drones, mortars, and UAV-dropped explosives. No injuries were reported.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has moved from a strategy of conquering Ukraine to a strategy of its destruction. This year he has lost hundreds of thousands of soldiers in exchange for less than 1% of Ukraine’s territory, The Economist reports. 

Russia is conducting thousands of air strikes on the power grid, central heating, and gas infrastructure as winter approaches.

The goal is to render parts of the country’s east uninhabitable, crash the industry, and provoke mass emigration and panic.

Russia is inventing new weapons to destroy Ukraine

The Kremlin is now operating even more clinically and cynically than before. Russian capabilities and tactics are evolving faster than Ukraine can improve its air defenses — both missile interceptions and electronic warfare measures around sensitive sites. It appears this winter will be a test of endurance like no other.

The Kremlin is concentrating on specific regions, striking in waves and using new variants of cheap Shahed drones.

The drones are also attacking differently, approaching from near‑vertical trajectories and flying above the effective range of machine guns, almost like missiles.

Over the past three weeks, Russia has hit several thermal power plants and possibly shut down half of Ukraine’s gas production, a key part of balancing capacity.

Beyond the cost of damaged infrastructure, recent attacks unexpectedly forced Ukraine to spend a staggering $1.9 billion on imported gas.

Cutting the country apart with an energy blitzkrieg

Outside the capital, Russia has focused on the border regions of Sumy, Chernihiv, and Kharkiv. The apparent aim is to slice Ukraine in two: isolate the industrial east, where consumption has always been higher, from the energy production in the west, and to weaken transmission lines so that eventual west‑to‑east power flows are paralyzed.

“They want to turn the power off on the eastern bank first, not the whole country,” a government source says.

The report says that Putin, smelling blood, is unlikely to stop. In previous years, his attacks only strengthened Ukrainian resolve. This time, they may be more effective.

Russia launched a 130-drone assault overnight on 22-23 October, killing one person and wounding 17 others across multiple regions. The attacks targeted civilian infrastructure including a historic synagogue, a railway station, and emergency responders, with Ukrainian air defenses intercepting 92 enemy aircraft by morning.

Kyiv under attack

Russian forces targeted the capital with drones overnight on 23 October, injuring nine people and damaging buildings across three districts. The attacks hit residential buildings, a school, a kindergarten, and a historic synagogue, with fires breaking out at multiple locations.

The most significant damage occurred in Podilskyi district. Debris from downed drones caused fires in three residential buildings and damaged cars in several courtyards, the Kyiv City Military Administration reported. Blast waves shattered windows in multiple buildings, with over 40 windows blown out at one school and partial window damage at a kindergarten. Debris fell near the synagogue.

Nine people were injured in total as of 11 a.m., Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko said. Eight were wounded in Podilskyi district, according to the Kyiv City Prosecutor's Office. An 18-year-old man and a 60-year-old woman were in serious condition. Five injured people required hospitalization while two received outpatient treatment, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

A drone directly hit the 15th floor of a residential building in Obolonskyi district, Tkachenko said. "In Obolonskyi district, a drone simply flew into the 15th floor of a residential building, in Desnyaskyi—the same direct hit on the 21st floor," he wrote. Blast waves damaged windows in one residential building in Obolonskyi district.

Damage was also recorded in Desnyaskyi district where a multi-story building was hit. Bomb disposal experts removed unexploded drones from an apartment and balcony in Kyiv, Suspilne reported.

Russians hit synagogue

The Brodsky Synagogue in Podil sustained damage during the attack. Chief Rabbi of Ukraine Moshe Asman shared footage of the aftermath, noting the strike occurred near where people usually gather for prayer. The attack damaged the synagogue's façade, the roof, and interior spaces, the local authorities said.

The Brodsky Orthodox Jewish synagogue was built in 1898.

Kharkiv rescuer killed in double-tap strike

Russian forces launched a double-tap attack in Zelenyi Hai village, Velykyi Burluk hromada, Kupiansk district. Firefighter Yurii Chystikov died when Russian forces struck rescuers a second time as they extinguished a blaze from the initial drone impact, the State Emergency Service of Kharkiv Oblast reported.

"During the firefighting operation caused by an enemy drone strike in Zelenyi Hai village, Russian terrorists struck again where rescuers were working. The enemy strike took the life of a rescuer, five of his colleagues were injured," the agency said.

Chystikov commanded a unit of the 43rd State Fire and Rescue Department of the 4th State Fire and Rescue Unit of the Main Directorate of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Kharkiv Oblast. He left behind a daughter, Suspilne reported.

Russian drone hits Sumy railway station

Russian forces struck a railway station in Sumy around 3 a.m. on 23 October. The attack injured two railway workers and one civilian woman, local authorities reported.

A 35-year-old man was hospitalized, and a 28-year-old man received aid on site, the Sumy City Military Administration said. A 32-year-old woman was also injured in the Sumy hromada due to the drone attack, the Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported.

The strike damaged rolling stock and railway infrastructure. Two workers of the locomotive crew were hospitalized for examination, Ukrzaliznytsia said. Contact network voltage was absent in certain sections.

Air Force reports intercepting 92 drones

Russia attacked with 130 strike drones of Shahed, Gerbera and other types overnight on 23 October from 7 p.m. on 22 October. The Russians launched aircraft from Kursk, Millierovo, Shatalovo, Oryol, Primorsko-Akhtarsk in Russia and Chauda in occupied Crimea, the Ukrainian Air Force said. Around 80 of them were Shahed long-range kamikaze drones.

Aviation, anti-aircraft missile troops, electronic warfare units and drone systems, and mobile fire groups of Ukraine's Defense Forces repelled the air attack.

Air defenses shot down or suppressed 92 enemy drones in the north and east of the country by 8:30 a.m., the Air Force reported.

The attack recorded 25 strike drone hits at 11 locations. Debris from downed drones fell at 11 locations.

The attack was continuing as of 8:44 a.m. with several Russian drones in airspace, the Air Force said.

Russia targets Ukraine’s power lifeline. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that northern and northeastern regions plunged into crisis as attacks on energy infrastructure escalate. 

As of 21 October 2025, the energy situation in Chernihiv Oblast is particularly critical. Repair crews cannot begin restoration because Russian drones are constantly flying over damaged facilities, creating dangerous working conditions. This deliberately delays recovery and worsens the humanitarian situation.

Chernihiv, Sumy, and Kharkiv regions are epicenters of the energy crisis

Since early morning, there have been many reports regarding restoration efforts in regions after Russian strikes on our energy infrastructure.

"The situation is particularly difficult in Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, and frontline communities,” Zelenskyy confirmed.

Russia conducts methodical terror against Ukrainians

“Russians are carrying out a methodical, the world’s largest campaign of terror against our energy sector, against our lives,” the Ukrainian president emphasized.

International support helps restore Ukraine’s energy sector

Zelenskyy thanked international partners helping restore Ukraine’s energy system and publicly condemning Russian attacks.

Recently, the Ukraine Energy Support Fund reported that it has accumulated nearly €1.3 billion in international aid for Ukraine’s energy sector, but the current deficit is €400 million, not accounting for the latest Russian attacks.

The Fund called on governments, international institutions, and private partners to join the program or increase contributions to ensure a sustainable energy future for Ukraine as part of a strong European energy system.